Eleven men were arrested in the Shelby County area on Thursday, Sept. 20, for attempting to pay for sex, a crime that law enforcement says contributes to the sex trafficking industry.

The arrests were made in north Shelby County along the U.S. 280 corridor as part of “Operation Close Out,” an undercover “reverse prostitution” sting carried out by the Shelby County Drug Enforcement Task Force.

“We’ve had a longstanding effort to rescue young ladies and adults who find themselves trapped in the industry of prostitution and sex trafficking,” Captain Clay Hammac, commander of the task force, said.

The operation is the first of its kind carried out by the task force, but Hammac said more operations will come in the future as law enforcement remains vigilant in their efforts to eliminate the demand for sex trafficking and prostitution.

“Our entire motivation is to squash the demand for this,” Hammac said.

Those who are attempting to purchase sex are just as guilty as those trafficking women, Hammac said.

The following men were arrested and charged with soliciting prostitution, a misdemeanor crime punishable by a fine or a short stint in the county jail:

Angelo Louis Petite, 47, Pelham

David Robert Rodriguez, 24, Birmingham

Donell Gomillion, 54, Albertville

Edward Goss, 44, Pinson

Kendrick Ball, 34, Anniston

Lee Glenn, 52, Leeds

Noah Brown, 39, Vestavia Hills

Olbin Jimenez, 24, Birmingham

Terry Lynn Scruggs, 30, Anniston

Thomas Barton Banks, 40, Birmingham

Tylor Martin Street, 31, Birmingham

Anyone with information that will help law enforcement combat sex trafficking is asked to text HELP to 233733 or call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.